What Emergency Physicians Need to Know about Caring for Patients with Chronic Pain

September 21, 2016 2:00PM

Chronic pain affects 20% of British Columbians, yet few physicians understand the myriad conditions that cause it, or how to treat it. An under resourced primary care system and the financial impacts of long-term disability make accessing proper treatment, which includes medications, physiotherapy, psychological treatment and self-management support, difficult for many of these patients. As a result, people in chronic pain often go to the emergency department, which, while not equipped to provide pain care over the long term, does have a role in treatment.

In this webinar, Dr. Jim Ducharme, emergency physician and internationally known pain management expert, discusses the role of emergency departments in treating people with chronic pain.